CrashOctopus Blog

I enjoy helping homeless pets. I have volunteered at shelters, fostered kittens, and adopted (in my unbiased opinion) the best cat in the world from a no-kill shelter. She had been there three years.

So I want to use my art skills to help the less fortunate. I designed this little cat logo with the intention of getting it embroidered on stocking caps, just like my CrashOctopus hats. I wrote a letter to my favorite local shelter last winter, proposing that we make some hats and sell them at adoptions, with all proceeds going to the animals. They haven’t answered any e-mails or phone messages about it. Either it’s a horrible idea, or they’re too busy. I’d like to get your opinion before I proceed.

Is this a design you think people will buy? On what? Stocking caps… probably not at this time of year, at least in the northern hemisphere. T-shirts, maybe? I did a bunch of different colors and line thicknesses, and I did a dog logo, too. All suggestions welcome (i.e. would it look better with whiskers?). Meg wants to help kitties!

We can make a million excuses for the absence of productivity. I’ve heard from many a successful artist that no excuse is good enough; there’s always time to make art if you really want to. They’re right, but there are life events that make it nigh impossible to do anything more than sketch. Sketching is great, and I know I should do it more often. But to me, it isn’t nearly as satisfying on working on a “finished” piece.

Sketching and its virtues notwithstanding, a lack of true artistic productivity is easy to start. You have guests. You have work done in your dwelling. You go out of town. Someone gets sick. Sketching… easy! Make saleable art… a bit tougher. And once I get started with my utter lack of output, it’s difficult to get going again. Not sure why — Newton’s First Law, perhaps? A productive artist will remain productive, and an artist who has excuses will remain artless. Anyone else have this problem?

It doesn’t take much to get me motivated again; drawing and painting are too exhilarating to abandon for long. However, there’s always a short wall to climb before I can get back on the artwagon. And it is in no way tied to the lack of art in this post. Not at all.

Actually, the same thing happens with workouts at the gym. *sigh*

I can’t say that I’m impressed with draft choices at restaurants around here. However, some have a nice selection of bottled beers. Last weekend, we went to Jim N Nick’s and they had one dark bottle selection (other than Guinness, of course). It was Samuel Smith Tadcaster Oatmeal Stout.

It’s about on par with the other English stouts we’ve tried. Sweet but tangy, its flavors are slightly juxtaposed and pleasantly confuse the taste buds (which, at the time, were inundated with barbecue sauce). It’s a bit spicy and savory. It doesn’t have much fizz, so it’s smooth on the tongue and throat. There is a fairly sharp aftertaste, and overall it faintly reminds me of toast.

M: 7.5

N: 7.5